Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard showered the former Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker with praise this week. The talented linebacker has taken on a leadership role, is growing tremendously understanding why certain plays are called and is gaining a very deep understanding of the game on a weekly basis.

Tim Twentyman covers all the Detroit Lions news of the day including stepping up on defense, preparing for the Kansas City Chiefs and more.

The Lions were without St. Brown, Joseph, Decker, Cunningham, Arnold and Vaki at Wednesday's practice to open the week.

According to DraftKings, Detroit enters its primetime showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs as 2.5-point underdogs, despite looking like the more complete team through five weeks. The Lions are coming off a 37-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, a game that showcased their offensive balance and defensive resilience.

Alim McNeill could make his 2025 debut for the Detroit Lions on Sunday in their game versus the Kansas City Chiefs, coach Dan Campbell said.

For the first time in a long time, the Kansas City Chiefs are below .500 through the first five weeks of the NFL season, currently sitting at 2-3 overall as they head into another primetime showdown on "Sunday Night Football" against the 4-1 Detroit Lions.

The Detroit Lions have won four of their first five games to start the 2025-26 NFL season and are coming off of a solid road showing in Cincinnati. The Lions' win over the Bengals didn't come without a cost as starting quarterback Terrion Arnold went down with a shoulder injury that was initially feared to be season ending.

Amon-Ra St. Brown (wrist) and Kalif Raymond (neck) returned to practice for the Detroit Lions on Thursday after sitting out Wednesday.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/lions as Detroit Lions Rookie Wide Receiver 'Stepped Up' . The Detroit Lions' still have opportunities to improve, even though they have been dominating their opponents the last month of the season.

Lions RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery against Chiefs’ run defense. Gibbs has 325 yards rushing and Montgomery has 310 yards rushing, and they also have four TD runs apiece. But the Chiefs have been good against the run this season,

Man, this game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night is going to be an interesting one for the Detroit Lions after head coach Dan Campbell dropped some injury news on Friday.